With Lily starting school at the end of August (who starts in August?!), I’ve been trying to do short weekends away with her, within an hour or so drive of Leicester. With a friend running a local Makers’ Market in Gloucester, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to find somewhere fun to stay nearby for that night.

Well, thanks to Airbnb, I came across these lovely little Shepherd’s Huts on a farm, Prestbury Farm, in Gloucestershire… and they were fantastic!

We’ve stayed in camping pods before, but this was the first time we had stayed in shepherd’s huts, and I’d really recommend it.

Firstly, the welcome was lovely. I managed to get a little bit lost on the way (the postcode led me to some kind of tractor part factory!), but when I pulled up at the farm, I was greeted with a friendly smile, and we were led to our little hut.

We were the only ones staying there that night, so even though there were 2 huts, we had the whole area to ourselves… and the sheep!

It was spring, and so the lambs were out in full force, super hungry for milk and very excited to see us! Lily leapt into my arms (giggling!) the first time we went down the field as she was a bit nervous of being chased by a hungry lamb that was similar to her height – but she soon grew used to them and found them hilarious!

There was a path around the back of the farmhouse that led us through the field, with our little crossing to our hut lined with blossom trees.

We were shown the toilet/shower hut first, which was such high quality and so clean, with our own toilet and shower for each of the 2 huts.

Our hut was called Pippin, and it was so lovely. It looked so cosy, nestled in the middle of the little field, with views across the field… and the sheep!

It had its own little gate to stop the lambs getting in, with an outdoor table and chairs, and 3 little steps to the hut.

Inside it had its own log fire (it was so cosy anyway so we didn’t use it!), a little kitchen area with fridge and microwave, a small table with bench, and a double bed at the other end. The décor was so beautiful, all keeping in the theme of a country cottage, and we had been left a whole host of beautiful treats, as well as tea and coffee. My favourite was the glass bottle of apple juice from the farm itself – it was delicious!

I’d taken a few food bits with me, as it was situated far from any supermarkets, and although there was a pub nearby for dinner, I thought it would be nicer to spend the time with Lily in the hut – and she loved it!

We had noodles and snacked on the fruit and veg I’d brought her, then I made her a little hot chocolate before bed, along with one of the little cookies left for us. I’d also brought some little drawing and craft activities with us, which she happily sat at the table to do. It was so peaceful outside, and even with a 3-year-old I found it relaxing!

The highlight for Lily was when the family from the farm asked if she would like to help feed the lambs. It was so exciting and she absolutely loved the experience! She had fed lambs on a farm visit before, but that seemed forced and part of a lamb feeding time slot, whereas this was just so much more natural as it was the sheep on their own family farm.

She happily got washed and teeth brushed in the shower hut while I washed up the cups and bowls in the big sink in there (they provided washing up liquid and tea towels too) and then she was asleep instantly after her stories at bedtime, sleeping soundly until the morning.

I was worried as she often wakes up early when the light shines through, but the fresh air must have knocked her out – and running around like a lamb in the field to explore the farm!

We had to leave just after breakfast the next morning, but she had the Weetabix I brought with me, and loved filling up the water bottles and kettle again from the outdoor tap.

All the little details were just beautiful – from the cosy blankets on the bed through to the milk urn flower pots outside. We slept soundly, were cosy the whole time, and the offer to feed the lambs was just the cherry on the cake.

We’ll definitely be back again, and if anyone has any suggestions for other places similar to this, we would love to hear from you!

Tips for visiting

• Bring an onesie for the little one is useful when traipsing in your pyjamas through the fields to the toilets! She also loved relaxing in it in the hut in the evening before bed, as I liked having the door open to look across the field!
• Bring a few simple food essentials, such as hoops/beans/ breakfast for you either in case you can’t get around or you want to just enjoy the peace – there’s also an outdoor BBQ for a beautiful evening outdoors!
• Bring a few quiet activities for the little ones to do early evening between dinner & bed – we took some colouring, cards, plain paper for drawing pictures, and a sticker craft activity.

We found these huts on Airbnb, but you can visit them on Facebook here or Instagram here…